WVL partners with Plantation Management Companies

Edward Weerasinghe

World Vision Lanka (WVL) signed two Memoranda of Understanding with Kotagala Plantations Limited and Kahawatte Plantations PLC, to implement development activities in selected estates managed by these companies in the Central Province.

The first event was held at the Kotagala Plantations Head Office in Colombo 01, in the presence of senior management representatives of both organizations, including C. Pieris, CEO, Kotagala Plantations and Mahen Madugalle, Director, Kotagala Plantations.

The second event was held the same day at the Kahawatte Plantations Head Office in Colombo 10, in the presence of its CEO Viren Ruberu.

During both the events, Suresh Bartlett, National Director and S.C. Sutharsan, Project Director, RIWASH 2 were present from WVL.

These had been the latest among a number of MOUs WVL had signed with Plantation Management companies over the past few years.

These include MOUs with Agarapatana Plantations Limited, Bogawantalawa Tea Estates Limited, Horana Plantations PLC, Maskeliya Plantations Limited, Watawala Plantations PLC as well as a number of smaller private companies. This Memoranda of Understanding would pave way for the implementation of various water, sanitation and hygienic programmes, as well as capacity building and empowerment programmes for the estate communities to enhance their living standards.

World Vision Lanka has a long history of working in the Plantation sector.

Its Ambagamuwa Area Development Programme (ADP), started almost 15 years back in 1997. Nuwara Eliya, Bogawantalawa, Pathana and Walapane ADPs followed in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Ganga Ihala Korale ADP, which expects to work closely with the estates managed by Kahawatte Plantations PLC, started operations in 2009.

These MOUs initially came about as a result of the Australian Government funded 'Rural Integrated Water Sanitation and Hygiene Project 2' (RIWASH 2), implemented by World Vision Lanka in the Nuwara Eliya District.

Subsequent to the MOUs initiated by RIWASH-2, WVL extended these partnerships and forged new partnerships, broadening their scope of activities and geographical reach to include development activities geared to target communities residing within the above mentioned ADPs.